PERS News

High winds and cold temperatures ushered in the annual meeting of PERS at the Friday Harbor Laboratory (FHL), University of Washington from 16 to 18 February 2006. Attendees arrived to the live music of Downbeat, a local jazz band, smoked salmon (4 different species provided by a local fisher), beer brewed on San Juan Island, wine and non-alcoholic beverages and cheese and veggie plates in front of a cedar logs blazing in the fireplace of the FHL Dining Hall.

This warm social carried throughout the meeting that featured two invited talks, 16 oral presentations by students and three poster sessions contributed by PI's (38) and graduate (6), undergraduate (4) and high school (2) students. More than 100 people attended with representation from British Columbia, Canada, Washington, Oregon and Northern California in the Pacific Northwest region of the US and handful of visitors from the mid-Atlantic and Gulf Coast regions of the US.

On 17 February, after introductory remarks by Professor Ken Sebens, FHL Director, Professor Paul Dayton, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, delivered a morning address titled "The loss of nature and the nature of the loss: sense of place Biophilia and the importance of education". This lecture was followed by eight student oral presentations.

After lunch, and in between two poster sessions, Professor Dorinda Dallmeyer, University of Georgia, delivered the second invited address titled "Toward a sea ethic". A banquet in the evening honored those responsible for developing the program including a special tribute to Brett Dumbauld retiring his position as Past President and Ted Dewitt, now Past President. During Brett's six year term, building on the work of Andrea Copping and Jan Newton and with help from Ted and Sandy Wyllie-Echeverria, now President, PERS has made strong out reach to students. This program will continue.

February 18, following 8 student oral presentations and the third poster session, student awards were presented in graduate, undergraduate and high school divisions. A total of 17 awards were presented. The next PERS contribution to the Newsletter will contain a brief description of presentation topic and affiliation for each student.

Jim Brennan, Washington Sea Grant was elected President-Elect at the business meeting and joins Jeannie Gilbert, Western Washington University, (Secretary/ Treasurer, continuing) and Cynthia Durance, Precision Identification (At Large Member, continuing), Carl Young, University of Washington (Student Member, continuing), Alan Trimble, University of Washington, (Newsletter Editor) and Ted, Sandy and Jim on the PERS Governing Board. In the next few months this team will meet to discuss program objectives for 2006/07.

The next PERS meeting will be hosted by John Harper and Mary Morris, Coastal & Ocean Resources Inc. Sidney, British Columbia, Canada. Stay tuned for a meeting update in the fall of 2006.